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Saturday, February 19, 2011

Boulevard posted a letter on Facebook with good news--Chocolate Ale will be back next year!

February 14, 2011Dear Friends,Holy cow, did we ever misjudge your feelings towards chocolate in beer. Before the Chocolate Ale storm hit, it was to us just another in a series of Smokestack seasonal and limited release offerings, a fun collaboration with local chocolatier Christopher Elbow. We packaged the same amount of Chocolate Ale as we had those previous Smokestack releases, roughly 19,200 bottles and 350 1/6 barrel (5.2 gallon) kegs.

You might say that the response to the beer took us by surprise, but that wouldn’t do it justice. No, we were blown away by the overwhelming reaction to Chocolate Ale, especially in Kansas City. We’re still not entirely sure how or why it happened. Maybe it was just a bunch of things coming together: a tasty and intriguing beer; a strong local connection; a gradual but steadily building buzz as we waited (and waited, and waited some more) for Federal label approval; the just-before-Valentine’s Day release, when we finally got the go-ahead from the government; and finally, the impact of social networks fueling demand in real time.

However or why-ever it happened, it was a tempest that left most everyone — from brewery staff, to distributors, to retailers, to you, our loyal customers — confused and frustrated. It’s probably not much consolation, but the brewery's 90+ employees encountered the same challenges trying to find Chocolate Ale, since we don’t hold back any limited release beers. Most were, like so many of our customers, unsuccessful. We will learn from this experience and, we hope, better anticipate demand of future releases.

To those of you who searched in vain and were unable to find a bottle or pour, please accept our sincere apologies. Chocolate Ale was going to be just a one-time, one-off release. But due to the overwhelming feedback we've received, and after much internal discussion and debate, we’re pleased to announce that it will be back for next Valentine’s Day.

We appreciate your understanding, and thank you for your continued support.

Kidney Draeck in short:strong blonde from 7.5 Vol% Alc.high fermentation beer with secondary fermentation in the bottleoriginal recipeunfiltered, not pasteurizedbrewed with only high quality raw materialswell digested beer with little residual sugar

taste description: KIDNEY Draeck has a fruity, hoppy nose. Despite the high degree of fermentation, this beer has a full 'body' with a moderately bitter aftertaste. In the autumn of his life, the "pale-ale" taste and Hopton more to the fore. This beer is a delicate balance between ester sweetness, bitterness and typical pale ale malt. A true taste sensation!attention: in the original glass Draeck KIDNEY! Alternatively, a tulip shaped glass (33cl) serve. He feels best at 8 to 12 ° C.ingredients: water, malt, hops, yeast and sugar

"(Copenhagen, DENMARK) – Mikkel Borg Bjergsø reveals another ace up his sleeve.Mikkel said that he has never heard of a “Coffee IPA” and, for what it is worth, I can’t say that I have either (though it could be out there). Mikkeller Koppi will be ready this winter according to the nomadic brewer.The coffee (Guji Natural) is specially made by a coffee roaster called ‘Koppi‘ in Sweden. Mikkel opted to use Tomahawk hops in this one.The beer is brewed at De Proef which is typical of Mikkeller beers and is packaged in 750s." -- info from Beernews.org

"Fantôme’s brewer, Dany Prignon, is a lively character who breaks all the rules when it comes to brewing with special ingredients. (How many other brewers have made a mushroom beer?) In fact, not all of his experiments are a success, but every beer is at least interesting and recall the early days of Belgian brewing.Fantôme Seasonal Beers – The mysterious Fantôme brewer is always at work cooking up another unique beer, often using secret herbs, spices, and fruits to evoke the current season. The recipes are never the same from year to year....The Winter beers are dark ruby red confections, with strong, malty flavors and are relatively straight-forward, without any notable trace of the phantom’s usual trickery." -- Shelton Brothers

Fantome Hiver...$14.99 / 750ml"Fantome's winter offering, available December through March or so. Brewer Dany Prignon changes his recipes every year, so we can't so for sure what this year's beer will be like, but it is sure to please lovers of Dany's beers." -- importer

De Molen has changed their name of their Rasputin to Disputin because of North Coast's version of Rasputin -- read more

De Molen Disputin....$21.99

Very limited release.

"Our first Imperial Russian Stout is named after probably the most famous Russian of the Romanov court. According to our own made up believe he was personally responsible for the fact that during the rule of Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra this style was born. So this is why we dedicated this beer to Rasputin. It’s brewed only once or twice each year in a limited edition."

Friday, February 18, 2011

The best ham in the world...Back in stock now!!!! (at our Forsyth location)Jamón Ibérico"American food lovers have long prized caviar and truffles, placing these gourmet foods in a class that commanded high prices for even a scant quantity. To that luxury list you can now add jamón Ibérico, the free-range long cured Spanish ham that is so prized that its arrival for the first time in the United States has caused a collective swoon in the world of fine dining... Over the course of the last hundred years European farmers have raised more and more faster growing animals that could be raised en masse in confined circumstances, other breeds supplanted the hardy Ibérico especially. With the advent of industrial hog raising in the decades since the Second World War, Ibérico hogs all but disappeared except for the west of Spain, in a three hundred mile swath extending from Salamanca to Jerez, the Ibérico continued to reign supreme. While many high-ticket hams, such as Italian prosciutto, jambon de Bayonne, and even Serrano are almost universally made with factory-raised hybrid breeds, jamón Ibérico is still made exclusively from Ibérico hogs.Ibérico hogs will have their feeding supplemented with barley and other grains from March until the first acorns fall, but from September until late February the hogs dine primarily on the fruits of the oak tree and put on nearly forty percent of their weight. All of their fat is derived from acorns. It is high in desirable monounsaturated fat, almost as much as olive oil, which is the fundamental basis of the Mediterranean diet. Only those hogs that have been left to feed on acorns for these months can bear the highest classification 100% puro de bellota-100% percent acorn. The flavor that Ibérico hams develop is rich, nuanced, sweet and nutty, completely unlike the more pallid taste of even the most expensive conventionally raised hogs. Ibérico hogs are also allowed to live longer and put on more weight. This regimen affords them more opportunity to exercise and the meat of these hogs becomes very well marbled. This has important consequences in the production process of jamón Ibérico." -- Peter Kaminsky, Foods from SpainPeter Kaminsky is a well known author on the subjects of food and flyfishing. He is the author of many books including Pig Perfect: Encounters with Remarkable Swine."

Dear Nutjobs*- First off….THANK YOU!!! The turnout the last few weeks has been amazing and we really appreciate all of the support and patronage. It’s been crazed, frantic, sleepless but most of all a lot of fun. It’s been like trying to drink water from a firehouse, but more apt in our case, it’s been like trying to enjoy an unfiltered Hopfen straight from our fermentation tanks. But hey…we wouldn’t want it any other way. And that’s why we are just nuts enough to announce our very first Urban Chestnut Brewing Company production- Hopfenfest 2011.

What is Hopfenfest 2011 you ask?!Well it’s…1) A celebration of the hop.2) More specifically a celebration of the hop varieties from the Hallertau region of Bavaria.3) Happening on Sunday, March 27 from 1-4pm.4) An opportunity to meet actual hop growers of the Hallertau region and join them in formal presentations and informal discussions about their distinctive hop varieties.5) A platform to demonstrate how the ‘same’ pilsner beer can be significantly altered by simply and ONLY changing its hop bill from batch to batch to batch.6) An event that will be graced by the presence of the reigning Hallertau Hop Queen (who is also flying over from Bavaria to attend).7) A party with live music, commemorative glassware and lots of beer; most with Hallertau hops- like Zwickel, Hopfen and several new pilsners, and one without (Winged Nut).8) A limited engagement, i.e. we are limited in the number of tickets we can sell. We’d like to go big and we’d like to keep it outdoors, but we’ve only got so much room indoors and the weather in March is…the weather in March. Thus, we have to be prepared to move things inside.9) A $30 per ticket 'UCBC production'. You can buy them on-line or you can buy them in UCBC’s taste room.10) Something we believe will be a pretty unique, educational, and of course fun, beer festival for the craft beer community of St. Louis.We hope to see you there!

Online now alsoFresh Gemini - In stock now at Forsyth...Southern Tier Gemini Double/Imperial IPA"Blended hoppe & unearthly” High in the winter sky, two parallel stick figures are visible & known as “the twins,” or the constellation Gemini. The astronauts of the 1960s flew as teams of two in a program named after the celestial pairing. At Southern Tier, we have our own fraternal twins, Hoppe & Unearthly. Blended together & placed in this vessel, the mission of our Gemini is to travel high & take passengers on a journey far into the heavens. 10.5% abv • 5.8ºL " -- BreweryRated 95 percentile on ratebeer.com

In stock now...2011 Sierra Nevada Glissade Golden Bock...6pk"As winter begins its slide toward the sunny days of spring, we bring you Glissade Golden Bock to help you enjoy the ride. Glissade is a remarkably mellow take on the traditional spring bock. With restrained sweetness, we emphasize subtle malt flavor, balanced against delicate aromas of spicy and floral European hops. This complex balance helps Glissade slide across the palate—bracing us against the last cold nights of winter, while its bright golden color turns our thoughts toward spring." -- Sierra Nevada

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Join us each Saturday at our Cheese Counter and taste the weekly pick of a cheese paired with a wine and a beer*. Each Saturday we will feature a cheese in our award winning cheese department at all 3 TWCP locations and have a wine and beer to taste that we feel is a great match.

It will be fun and informal just come in for a taste at the Cheese Counter.

Pairing cheese with wine or beer is an age old excercise and everybody has an opinion. First of all, there are no wrong answers. It is all about what you like. There is no sense in buying a cheese that you don't like because "an expert" said that it is the best match. The perfect match is the wine/beer you like and the cheese you like! But we will hope to give you a few guidelines and ideas to start your journey through the matching process. Join us each week for a new match.

Saturday, February 19 (12-4pm)Featured Cheese:Forsyth:Appalachian from VirginiaBallwin: Appalachian from VirginiaRock Hill:Appalachian from Virginia

Meadow Creek Dairy is an American Artisan producer from Virginia that brings us the great Appalachian cheese which is modeled after the famous Tomme de Savoie. This American cheese is made from raw milk -- read more about the cheese

Wine: To match with the Appalachian we are going with one of our favorite whites. A good general rule about pairing is to match a wine and a cheese that are produced in the same area. They tend to match well. Since the cheese is a "Tomme de Savoie" style, we will pair it with a wine from SavoieForsyth: Boniface Apremont Vin du SavoieBallwin: Boniface Apremont Vin du SavoieRock Hill: Boniface Apremont Vin du SavoieExtra info about the wine2009 Pierre Boniface Vin Savoie Apremont...$15.99This wine is produced on the French side of the Alps right across from Switzerland. "This light, crisp, dry white from the French Alps is pure and vibrant. It brings to mind a Granny Smith apple with a touch of honeysuckle. Serve as an aperitif or an accompaniment to lighter fish and poultry dishes." -- Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate

Extra info about the beerDuvel Belgian Golden Ale"Four generations of the Moortgat family have brought together Pilsner malts, Bohemian hops, and a unique yeast strain to create this intense, aromatic and beguiling ale."Rated 99 on RateBeer

Local restaurants will be invited to make their best soup and enter the “Soup’s On”competition. Our official tasters are the general public and specialjudges including media personalities and prominent businessprofessionals.read more on their website

We make our natural, uncured bacon with the same balance of Vermont maple syrup and moderate amount of salt as our traditionally cured bacon. It is cured with celery juice powder and sea salt, natural sources of nitrates that yield the same flavor as our traditionally cured bacon. No nitrate or nitrate added. No antiobiotics ever, no groth promotants ever, vegetarian feeds -- always. Certified Humane raised and handled.

Back in stock -- fresh batch just arrived of the IPAI know it is expensive, but one of my favorites. The brewery has trouble keeping up with demand and the distributor and us have been out for about a month. They unfortunately don't date their cans, but it should be VERY FRESH!

Caldera from Ashland, Oregon"One thing that sets Caldera apart from many other Northwest breweries besides the beer clarity is the incorporation of fresh whole flower hops into the brewing process. Whole flower hops have a cleaner taste than pelletized hops." -- brewery

Caldera was draft only until 2005 when the starting canning their beer -- the first craft brewer in Oregon.

Boulevard has an new and exciting Smokestack Series Ale coming out soon. They are hoping to have it out before Valentines Day. They are still waiting for label approval -- the red tape. So there could still be some minor changes.

9.1% ABV "One of the brightest stars in a city filled with culinary treasures, Christopher Elbow has been hand-crafting masterpieces in chocolate for more than ten years. In that time the reputation of his artistic delicacies has spread around the globe. Elbow's sweets are distinguished by their use of unusual and sometimes surprising flavors and ingredients; in that adventurous spirit we joined forces to bring you a very special Chocolate Ale.

In developing this beer, Elbow and Boulevard brewmaster Steven Pauwels sought to harmonize the interplay of chocolate and malt, with each supporting and enhancing, but not overwhelming, the other. Just the right chocolate was essential. Elbow recommend a rare variety from the Dominican Republic, prized for its robust flavor and aroma, and a personal favorite. more than a mere flavoring, the chocolate -- in the form of nibs, or crushed, roasted beans -- was incorporated into the brewing process itself.

Chocolate Ale is full of surprises, beginning with a glowing amber hue. The aroma is given over to earthy, fruity cocoa, with just a hint of hops. Smooth layers of dark chocolate intertwine with threads of caramel, vanilla, and nutty malt as the flavor warms and rounds to a bittersweet finish.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

2009 Domaine de Lancyre Roussanne.....$17.99Domaine de Lancyre continues to make exceptional red wines and white wines. It is tough to find a better estate in Pic St. Loup than Lancyre. Their only white is a 90% Roussanne with 10% Viognier blend that is stunning. The 2008 scored 91 from The Wine Advocate, it was exceptional, but the 2009 might even surpass that wine. You can get the hints of Viognier on the nose in the form of apricots and peaches. The palate is very zesty, with a great minerality and is rounded with fruits like limes and other citrus. It is very refreshing and can actually develop and age for 4-5 years. Try this wine with some great seafood or lighter pasta dishes with some mushrooms.